Chapter Eight: Practice

Why did the scene laid out before her look so strikingly familiar?

It had just occurred the same day.

There… an exact copy of her stood, holding a wooden bat so fiercely in two hands that blood was smeared upon them. Chuckling softly to herself with glee, the girl rushed forward and swung the bat against three other individuals, which Kotonoha noticed were male.

It was a movie that ran in slow motion and Kotonoha couldn't help but avert her eyes.

That didn't help block the sounds of the heavy blows inflicted on the three individuals. The loud smacking sounds of the bat smashing down and the anguish cries of the victims…

"I did this?" Kotonoha blurted out to no one in particular. It was her subconscious afterall.

Several more images flashed before her. She continued to see herself grinning, smiling even as she continued to bludgeon her enemies. She looked like she enjoyed it immensely.

"I had no choice! I was defending myself!"

Kotonoha clutched her arms to herself as she tried to justify the actions she committed earlier that day. She was all alone in the pitch black darkness, watching a movie on auto-play that wouldn't stop showing images to her.

Horribly alone until….

A small whispering voice appeared out of nowhere.

Admit… it… didn't you secretly DESIRE to punish them? Those MEN deserved it! They dared to look at you like a possession as if you belonged to them… THEM! As if those filthy pigs deserved to lay their eyes on you….

"No… I didn't mean…. to… it was an accident!" It was futile to fight against the lingering voice. It seemed to know her best even the ugly side of her personality that she hid all too well from society.

Wasn't it fun? Those men cowering before you…. PLEADING with you to stop… Why didn't THEY stop when you wanted to?

Admit it… you ENJOYED it… Savored it…. It was an experience that you've never experienced before…

"No….NO!"

With a violent jerk, Kotonoha shot up awake in her bed. Her breathing was rapid, irregular, and small beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. She attempted to calm herself as she surveyed her surroundings again. With everything that had happened today, the habit became almost a second nature.

She was home?

Safe and sound in her own bed?

How-? What-? Who-?

She looked around. Eyes darted left and right. Checking and double-checking. Yes, this was no doubt her room. She recognized her small stuffed animals sitting on her brown wooden desk with her computer chair right next to it. She also recognized her closet with a sliding body-sized mirror that she glanced herself in every day.

She then moved her hands slightly hidden under the covers unconsciously and winced in pain.

Kotonoha didn't remember injuring herself. Confused, she pulled her hands out and took a glance at them. They were wrapped in bandages and smelled slightly antiseptic. Whoever had taken care of her wounds made sure to disinfect them. She then took another look at her hands and noticed she was wearing something different… A jacket? She paused as she frowned. It felt really big on her too. Slightly unnerved at how she was wearing something different than what she went to school with, she continued to think, wracking her brain for what had happened in the day.

She stayed in her bed for awhile, trying to put the pieces back together. Before this, she was in school… and then…

Flashes of Makoto and Sekai ran through her mind. Of course, that was why she ran. She also left her bag at school too…

Then there were those men… she shivered slightly and clutched the covers closer to herself. Did I really do that? I guess I really did…. Looking at these wounds on my hands…

She really wanted to make herself disappear now. How could she have acted that way? She was always the good, obedient daughter. She never mistreated anyone! What had happened to the guy she injured?

Did she kill him?

She shivered again and hugged herself in silence.

XXX

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear him as Ryuuji knocked on her open door.

"Kotonoha? Are you okay?" Ryuuji gently asked her from the doorway, poking his head in.

"R-Ryuuji-kun?"

He nodded, relieved that she finally woke up.

"Did you bring me back?"

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if it wasn't much.

"I see…Thank you…" It made sense why she was still currently wearing his jacket. So Makoto-kun didn't chase after me… did he not care for me…?

Kotonoha changed her position so that she was sitting up on the bed with her knees up hidden in the covers. She hugged her knees to herself unconsciously. It was obvious to Ryuuji that she had a lot of matters to deal with. Especially matters of the heart.

How could he get her to open herself up to him?

She was not herself today and she clearly regretted her actions from moments before. To Ryuuji, it was obvious that Kotonoha felt guilty; however, Kotonoha was quite good at bottling up feelings inside of her.

"Do…" Ryuuji stopped himself for a second. Should I even ask? Would she even tell me?

"Did you say something Ryuuji-kun?" She didn't look up at him even she answered. She continued to stay in her seated position, hugging her knees close to herself.

"Yeah… I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it? About what's bothering you, I mean?"

Ryuuji continued to stand at the entrance of Kotonoha's room, unsure if he should enter. Now that she was awake, he wasn't sure if she would be okay with it.

He had no problems with it earlier.

Why was he hesitating now?

Kotonoha tried to put up a false front. She shook her head slightly. "I-It's nothing…."

She could probably convince others, but Ryuuji did not buy it. He couldn't help but clench his teeth in frustration. Was he really that unworthy?

Why wouldn't she confide in him?

Why did she have to shoulder everything by herself?

Kotonoha looked up and noticed that Ryuuji still hadn't moved. Why is he still here?

This had nothing to do with him!

Her father might have entrusted her well-being to him but he had no business in her personal affairs!

Did he pity her? Was that it? Did he pity her because she appeared to be a fragile and delicate girl that needed protection?

I can't believe I'm doing this again. Kotonoha couldn't help but let these ugly thoughts roam her mind. It made her feel so wrong, like she was starting to become someone else that she couldn't relate to. Where did this side of her come from? How could she think like this?

She pinched her eyes shut, trying to dispel all of the poisonous thoughts lingering in her mind.

Seeing her struggle with herself, Ryuuji felt his heart bleed a little from a small wound. She was trying to bottle everything in, including her emotions when they were threatening to spill out of her. It wasn't good for her at all.

If she didn't let it out, the thoughts would eat up inside of her, poisoning her even potentially affecting her sanity.

She had to let it out on something, someone, anything! He couldn't let her keep those emotions bottled up anymore.

When Ryuuji opened his mouth again, his tone was anything but gentle. Kotonoha needed just a little push…

"Kotonoha… Are you an IDIOT!?" He startled her as he strode into her bedroom and stood at the side of her bed.

"R-Ryuuji-kun?" Kotonoha's eyes were wide open now.

She was so confused.

"That's what I said. An idiot! Who the hell runs off and ends up in alleyway, causing trouble for others!?"

Kotonoha tried to answer him in a calm matter. "W-what do you mean, causing trouble for others?"

"Uncaring for your own safety, causing Kokoro to worry for you and running into a den of wolves….." Ryuuji continued as he verbally attacked her.

To emphasize his point even further, Ryuuji attempted to sneer viciously.

"Unless, you actually wanted that attention… I thought better of you… Kotonoha K-a-t-s-u-r-a." He bit off her last name slowly then trailed off, shrugging his shoulders in indifference.

That was it. No matter what she had thought of him before, he had NO reason to talk that way about her!

The frustration was bubbling out of her and she shivered again, only this time, it was out of anger. Kotonoha's emotions finally erupted. She couldn't hold them back anymore and she lashed out in her defense.

"SHUT UP! You have no right to talk that way about me!" She yelled. It was only the tip of the iceberg.

"YOU weren't even there! How could you sympathize with me! Did you even know why I ran from school! YOU'RE THE IDIOT!"

Ryuuji just stood there as he continued to listen, not even attempting to defend himself against her verbal onslaught.

"I didn't want anything like this to happen! I didn't want THOSE men to give me any attention! It's always been like this! Ever since I hit puberty and my body matured!"

Kotonoha's voiced then rose again, letting her emotions take over. Her arms were flailing wildly to emphasize her point.

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS! YOU'RE A GUY! BOYS HAVE IT MUCH EASIER! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH SUCH PROBLEMS!"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?" Kotonoha choked back a sob as her emotions were now settling down.

"What do you know about me…?!" She fought back the tears that threatened to fall from the corner of her eyes.

After releasing most of her pent up frustration and anger, Kotonoha attempted to calm herself. Her chest was heaving with every breath she took. I can't believe I yelled at him like that… and he just stood there and took it…

Ryuuji smiled sadly to himself. So that's how she felt since I left… That's how she was treated!?

"…Doesn't it feel better to let it out?" Ryuuji then asked Kotonoha after she regained control of herself.

She didn't say anything. She had just put a hand over her mouth once she realized that her emotions had gotten a hold of her.

Kotonoha just timidly nodded in agreement.

Ryuuji just grinned. He knew that bottling up emotions wasn't good for you and he knew it from experience. Whenever he had something he needed to say out loud, he always had Kei nearby to listen to him. Since Kotonoha had no one else, he could at least be at her side to listen to her frustrations. He owed it to her.

She had finally let it out; under normal circumstances, she would have just kept her emotions bottled up inside. Even if it meant that they would do more harm than good. Kotonoha was raised to be proper, and now that she was older, there was no reason for her to let herself loose like that.

A child is allowed to express their sorrow and anger openly in front of others but once they get older, it does not seem right. Kotonoha felt the same. It just wasn't something she would do.

The atmosphere was now awkwardly silent between the two of them.

Kotonoha was now wondering about her clothes and decided it was a good time to bring it up. After asking, she noticed that Ryuuji was slightly uncomfortable answering. Curiosity compelling her, she peaked underneath the jacket she was wearing and noticed she had nothing on but her bra. With a gasp, she clutched herself protectively and sent an accusing glare at Ryuuji. Aware that she misunderstood his intentions, he explained that he had only good intentions and he did his best not to look on her naked body. He was a young man and it was hard NOT to look but he did somehow control himself. Kotonoha contemplated whether or not to believe him when she looked at her hands again. The handiwork from the bandages was definitely not from Kokoro. Kokoro was never good with wrapping bandages since she usually would be over-eager and end up over-wrapping, making the injured area much larger than it actually was with the extra wrappings. If she did the wrapping, her hand would most definitely look like giant mummy hands.

Slightly touched that the young man before her would treat her with such care, she decided to believe his words and let the matter drop. She also told him that she would return his jacket after she changed into her own clothes. Ryuuji nodded in thanks, it was what he expected anyway.

Another matter was settled and the atmosphere was awkward again.

Breaking the ice, Ryuuji spoke up. "So… are you hungry? I saved some dinner that I made earlier. Kokoro and I have already eaten but I'll bring it up here if you don't feel like going downstairs.

Kotonoha was about to admit that her current situation killed her appetite, when her stomach gurgled all of sudden.

Blushing, Kotonoha meekly nodded.

Laughing, Ryuuji grinned at her blushing face. "That settles it. I'll go get you something to eat!"

He then left her to her own thoughts as he left her presence.

Geez… Ryuuji-kun…. He's so unpredictable…but he did help me….once again…

Kotonoha thought that she might have finally found the answer to the question she had posed to herself a few days ago. What was her relationship to Ryuuji?

The most satisfying answer she could come up with as of now….

He was a friend.

Not just a friend but a very good one.

XXX

Kotonoha was terrified of going to school the next day. The thought of bumping into Makoto and Sekai made her nervous. She hesitated as she bent down to grab her extra school uniform. She could have made up an excuse to miss school but her pride as the class president compelled her otherwise. Even though she normally appeared weak and timid in front of others, she actually possessed a strong sense of duty to uphold her role.

Luckily for her, Ryuuji's assistant was able to get her another one so that she could go to school today. Her previous one was in shreds and she shuddered from her memory of yesterday's events. It relieved her tremendously when nothing further happened from having her clothes ripped off of her. She had read adult stories where female victims suffered worse and took time to recover from their mental and physical wounds.

She shook her head and went back to thinking about Makoto and Sekai.

What would she say if she saw them?

A slight knock on her door prevented her from answering that question.

When she opened the door, Ryuuji was there but she couldn't look at him in the face. Not after she blatantly yelled at him last night. Concerned, Ryuuji tilted his head to the side until he got a good look at her face. Meeting his eyes, Kotonoha's face heated up. She also quickly jerked her head to the opposite side, muttering a quick "we're going to be late for school" and briskly left Ryuuji where he was.

After a few hurried steps, she then came back to her room to grab something as if she had merely forgotten it, presented it to Ryuuji in a rush and left again. When Ryuuji looked down on his hands, he noticed that he was holding the school jacket he had lent to her just last night. He noticed that it was washed too although he couldn't figure out how she had time in the morning to do so. He also didn't have time to say thanks as she left in a hurry.

Wondering if he had did something wrong, Ryuuji paused to gather his thoughts as he put on his jacket. The Kotonoha this morning wasn't acting like her usual self, but then again, since he was male, he knew that she was still uncomfortable around him. There were times when he did wonder if she would ever get used to him but he had decided to not to expect anything. It was enough that he lived with her and stayed beside her. He kept telling himself that it was more than enough and that he should be happy.

But it was so adorable when Kotonoha blushed earlier when he tried to look at her face. Could it be that she was finally warming up to him?

Trying to quell down the expectations swelling in his heart, Ryuuji shook his head. He didn't want to expect anything more and it wasn't the right time anyways. Kotonoha had just recovered from her mental shock yesterday, and her well-being was much more important.

XXX

A small little surprise awaited Kotonoha as she approached her desk in the classroom. She had been so worried about confronting Makoto and Sekai that she had forgotten about the school bag she left the previous day.

Her precious school bag was sitting on top of her desk with a small note. Wondering who could have left it there, Kotonoha peeled off the small sticky piece of paper and glanced over the brief message.

It was written neatly and signed off with a name accompanied by a cartoon smiley face.

It was signed off by Sekai, apologizing for what had happened yesterday (which was a misunderstanding) and asking if they could still be friends.

Kotonoha felt horribly conflicted. A part of Kotonoha wanted to forgive her. To her it would be like admitting what had happened yesterday never really happened. Yet, a small glimpse of her hands could easily disprove that. The wounds on her hands had yet to recover but she replaced the bandages to be less noticeable. Even though Ryuuji had wrapped her hands pretty well last night, she didn't want to come to school with her hands looking like that. He would probably deny that fact and say that he wrapped her quite decently (it was still much better than Kokoro's) but she wanted to make it less obvious that she was injured. Plain bandages seemed more sensible than bulky anti-sterile wraps.

So she changed them a bit, but that couldn't dismiss the fact that she was still wounded.

But the black haired beauty of class 1-4 was still conflicted, she didn't know what to do. She was still hovering over her desk when Ryuuji stepped into the classroom.

He noticed that she couldn't keep her eyes from a small note that was just in her hand before she placed it back down on her desk. He approached her desk and curiously picked it up to read it. Kotonoha then quickly turned her attention to the person who picked up the note.

Ryuuji's eyes briefly scanned over the piece of paper. That bitch thinks that they could still be friends after what happened!?

Kotonoha wordlessly observed her new friend as he read it. She wasn't sure how he would react and she waited patiently next to him.

Then without any warning, Ryuuji tore it into two, then three and several more times. His eyes narrowed as the paper in his hands became smaller and smaller. He then released the pieces in his hand to the ground. It was obvious where his feelings were. He thought the note was completely bullshit.

"Ryuuji-kun!?" Kotonoha exclaimed with surprise. She wasn't aware that she now addressing him on a first name basis.

How could he just stomp on Saionji's feelings like that? He didn't even know her!

"Kotonoha don't worry about her. You're too good to be friends with her."

To his surprise, Kotonoha ignored him as she knelt on the ground and picked up the pieces.

Kneeling down as well, Ryuuji hissed. "What are you doing? That note is obviously full of false feelings! Let it stay on the ground where it belongs!"

When she continued to ignore him and pick up the pieces, Ryuuji roughly grabbed one of her hands to stop her.

He then saw Kotonoha wince in pain and let it go as quickly as he grabbed it.

"Sorry, Kotonoha. I didn't mean it." Kotonoha just nodded, accepting his apology as she proceeded to pick up the last few pieces of the shredded note.

How could he have forgotten? Kotonoha's hands were still injured. Ryuuji then tried convincing Kotonoha to see his point of view but she still continued to ignore him. Kotonoha didn't know why he was so distrusting of Saionji-san but she had no doubt in her mind that she was a dear friend to her.

Sekai was one of her friends. Well actually, her only friend so far. What had happened yesterday was clearly a misunderstanding. The traumatic event that happened afterwards had nothing to do with Sekai and Makoto. It was purely bad luck on Kotonoha's part that she stumbled upon guys who would attempt to rape her. Besides, it was because of Sekai that Kotonoha was able to become Makoto's boyfriend. She owed it to her.

Ryuuji wanted to try convincing her again but was interrupted when the teacher came in. Class was about to start. Sighing in frustration, Ryuuji got up from the ground and walked to his desk which was four seats behind her.

What could he say to convince her? Kotonoha clearly trusted that girl and there was nothing he could say otherwise. It was obvious that Sekai was one of the few friends that Kotonoha had and doubting her trustworthiness was like doubting Kotonoha's ability to make friends.

Kotonoha really was too kind and trusting.

Ryuuji was worried that she would fall to Sekai's schemes and get hurt. But what could he do but closely observe? It was a good thing that he was assigned to help Kotonoha with her duties as the class president. He could then keep a close watch on her with helping out as a pretense.

I swear signing papers at my desk in the office is MUCH easier than sorting out relationships. Ryuuji groaned to himself as he relaxed in his seat and pretended to listen to the lesson.

It was another boring subject that he had already taken. He propped up his textbook and utilized his phone behind it secretly, hoping the instructor wouldn't notice.

XXX

When the class was dismissed for lunch, Ryuuji approached Kotonoha again. She might think he buried himself into her personal matters too much, but he didn't care. He wanted to ask her if it was okay for him to join her for lunch. Politely, Kotonoha admitted that she was planning to eat lunch with Makoto and Sekai (Ryuuji grimaced) and that he was more than welcome to join them if he didn't mind additional company.

Hiding his displeasure at the mention of those two individuals, Ryuuji told her he didn't mind. Kotonoha just smiled and told him they were meeting up for lunch at the rooftop. She then left Ryuuji's presence to go on ahead while Ryuuji headed towards the cafeteria to grab some lunch. He had planned on making boxed lunches for both him and Kotonoha but he was distracted this morning. It was a good thing he didn't too because if he and Kotonoha brought the same looking lunch, people could misunderstand.

He didn't mind. Rumors were just rumors but he didn't want to make Kotonoha uncomfortable.

XXX

After grabbing some yakisoba bread and a carton of strawberry milk, plus a little bit of everything just in case Kotonoha was hungry as well, Ryuuji headed up towards the school rooftop which was supposedly still off-limits. He ignored the sign on the door though.

With his arms full of various food items, he still managed to open the door to the rooftop and slowly walked towards the benches where Makoto, Sekai and Kotonoha were sitting. With one glance at the three individuals, he wasn't surprise to see the set-up. On the same bench, Makoto was sitting next to Kotonoha as if nothing had happened yesterday with Sekai sitting next to Kotonoha. However, Makoto was fidgeting in his seat as if he had something to confess to Kotonoha but couldn't sum up the courage to do so. Sekai was cheerful as usual and brought up the topic of several video games that were coming up on the consoles that Makoto possessed. Kotonoha was left in the dark again, but made small talk by taking out a mid-sized thermos that supposedly held something within it. As he approached, he overheard that it contained a warm drink that Kotonoha made and wanted to share with Makoto, her boyfriend.

With ooohs and ahhs, Sekai couldn't help smiling as she nudged Makoto's arm and proclaimed how lucky he was to have Kotonoha as a girlfriend. Kotonoha graciously poured a small cup for Makoto first and asked him to have a taste.

"Wow, this is good. Did you make this Kotonoha?" Makoto admitted with enthusiasm as he took a sip.

Kotonoha nodded with a smile.

"Oooooh, let me try some." Sekai obnoxiously grabbed Makoto's cup and took a sip as well. She didn't seem to notice that what she just did could have been classified as an indirect kiss. Kotonoha was clearly uncomfortable at the intimacy the two shared.

Ryuuji took this opportunity to barge in.

"What the hell are you doing, Saionji-san? Kotonoha made that especially for Itou-kun and you're drinking it without permission?" The intimidation look he was going for was ineffective as he held several items in his arms.

"Wha-? How rude-" Sekai was ignored as Ryuuji dumped all his food packages on the bench behind them, grabbed one, opened it and started eating it. He couldn't care less about Sekai glaring at him with heated daggers in her eyes.

Kotonoha tried to be the peaceful mediator.

She smiled and tried to placate the both of them as one glared and another seemed ready to punch someone.

"Do not worry about it Ryuuji-kun, I made a lot. I do not mind if Saionji-san has some too. You could also have some if you'd like. It's a special type of tea I made." Kotonoha said as she flickered between the two of them, dividing her attention to act as the peaceful negotiator.

Pleased that she didn't forget about him, Ryuuji continued to eat in silence happily munching on his yakisoba bread. He wanted to reiterate the point that the reason he got angry was the fact that Sekai was too intimate with Makoto which irritated Kotonoha. But then if he brought that up, his feelings towards Kotonoha might make Kotonoha uncomfortable. Especially when she was now getting used to him or so he thought.

It was sort of rare these past few weeks for Kotonoha to eat lunch with Sekai and Makoto. The spring festival was rapidly approaching and since she was in a different class from the two of them, it was hard to make time to eat and socialize together. Makoto noticed this and brought it up, trying to make it sound as casual as possible.

"Hey Kotonoha, was there anything you had to prepare for the festival at lunch?"

Swallowing the last piece of his bread and taking a large gulp of his strawberry milk to wash it down, Ryuuji started to reply before Kotonoha had a chance to.

"What? She can't eat lunch with her boyfriend anymore because she's busy?" Makoto averted his eyes from Ryuuji, apparently fascinated by the clear sky.

Makoto nervously tried to shrug it off. "O-of course not, I am really happy that she can eat lunch with me."

"Obviously, otherwise, I would have thought that you had something going on with Saionji-san and was purposely avoiding Kotonoha with school activities as an excuse." Ryuuji retorted as he continued to attack his food with vigor.

Sekai laughed nervously at the implication. It was unnatural and came out as a forced laugh.

"That's really funny, Hyouma-kun. Makoto and I are just friends, nothing more and nothing less. Besides I could never imagine myself kissing him."

The moment Sekai finished that statement; Makoto had a brief flashback of that time when Sekai helped him confess to Kotonoha and took his first kiss as her reward. He stopped eating, placed a hand over his face and turned slightly pink. It had never come up and he had almost forgotten about that. Sekai brushed it off and never mentioned it so he had always thought it was a new teasing thing that Sekai came up with. He was now not that sure.

Makoto was never really familiar with the girls in his school but he was always comfortable speaking and joking around with Sekai. It was probably due to them being childhood friends but as he remembered the kiss and how soft her lips felt, he felt very confused. His raging teenager hormones weren't helping either.

Ryuuji scowled as he observed the two individuals. He felt like they were hiding something but he had no proof. Kotonoha was silently observing the situation while also attempting to come into the conversation among the rest of them at some point. She knew that she was still socially awkward when it came to conversing with others her own age, but she wanted to change to become a better girlfriend for Makoto.

When Sekai apologized to Kotonoha about the misunderstanding the day before in what looked like a sincere apology, Kotonoha was relieved and re-expressed her desire to continue being her friend. Touched by her kindness, Sekai grabbed both of Kotonoha's hands and pumped them up and down with enthusiasm.

Kotonoha modestly replied that it was nothing while the males on the side ate in silence.

Seriously, this could be part of a tv drama of some sort. Ryuuji restlessly sighed as he observed the relationship among Makoto, Sekai and Kotonoha.

He honestly hoped that whatever Sekai felt for Makoto would never be returned as long as Kotonoha believed that she was Makoto's girlfriend.

If he had to intervene, he would do so to protect Kotonoha's feelings.

XXX

Ever since the topic of "kissing" was brought up, Makoto couldn't stop thinking about the kiss Sekai planted on his lips after he adamantly confessed to Kotonoha. He only viewed Sekai as a friend until he realized how soft and warm her lips were when she kissed him. Now that he was seriously thinking about it, he also considered how "far" he had progressed with Kotonoha.

Makoto wordlessly sighed as he remembered how Kotonoha stopped him from kissing her on their second date. Girls were so strange. Ever since then, he hadn't tried kissing her.

Either way, he had to ask Sekai when they were alone what that kiss meant…

So here he was leaning on the small wire fence at the rooftop gazing out towards the city waiting for Sekai to show up after school had ended. Since they were in the same class, he passed a note to her stating that he wanted to talk to her about something. They decided to meet up at the rooftop where they could speak freely. It was their hang-out spot afterall.

He turned his head towards the only exit and entrance to the rooftop when he heard the sound of the door opening. Smiling at one of his closest friends, he greets her.

"Hey."

Sekai returns the favor just as cheerfully as she walks towards him.

"Hi to you too. What did you want to talk about?"

How did he want to start this? It was a bit awkward. Makoto slightly scratched his cheek with his finger and directed his gaze towards the ground.

"Uh…well…."

"Hmm? Well there's no point wasting time. Out with it." Sekai was direct like usual.

"….well… it's kinda about that kiss…." Makoto nervously places a hand behind his hair rubbing his hair as a nervous gesture.

Sekai then started to turn pink. It was then her turn to look at the ground and her nearby surroundings because she could not bear to look Makoto in the eye.

"…..ahahaha….. you still remember that?" She tried to laugh it off casually.

"It was hard to forget you know…"

Sekai then turned even redder. Her feelings for Makoto were slightly floating to the surface. Does the fact that he still remembers means that he might have feelings for me?

Makoto then surprised her by jerking his head up, looking at her with a serious expression and asking her bluntly.

"That kiss. What did it mean?"

Her heart skipped a beat while he looked at her face so seriously. She then laughed; a cheerful sound that broke the tense atmosphere immediately.

"Why are you laughing?" Makoto's confusion was completely written on his face.

"You look so serious. If you really want to know so badly, fine. I'll tell you." Sekai finished laughing and proceeded to answer him.

"It was just a joke I wanted to play on you. Did you think I was serious?" She acted like she wanted to stifle her laughter again in front of him. I can't let him find out that I have feelings for him.

"Jeez, don't do things like that. My heart can't take it." Makoto released the breath he was unconsciously holding and exhaled.

Sekai then turned around with her back facing him and addressed him on another matter in a casual tone. "Have you and Kotonoha kissed yet?"

With a large sigh, Makoto replied. "No, we haven't even held hands yet. Honestly, being with Kotonoha is kinda boring. I want to do more intimate things but she won't even try."

"Ohhhh, Makoto wants to do more?" Sekai continued to pry in a playful tone.

"Of course! All guys do!" Makoto pumped his fist in the air.

"Hmm…. Since you're the type to mess things up on the first try… how about I let you practice on me?" She casually offered.

"What?"

"Practice. I will let you practice kissing me. That way, when you get the chance to kiss Katsura-san, you won't screw up." She turned around again with a big smile on her face.

"Really? You will let me do that?" Makoto couldn't hide his enthusiasm.

"Sure, what are childhood friends for?"

"….then… can we practice right now?"

Sekai was slightly surprised that Makoto agreed to it so quickly when in fact, this could be counted as cheating on his girlfriend. However, she didn't care. It was a way for her to take what she wanted and not bind Makoto to a relationship. He was already in one and seemed happy with Kotonoha. She didn't want to ruin that.

"…sure…" She slowly approached him.

Makoto shifted closer towards Sekai as well. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her in towards him while aiming his lips towards hers. As their faces slowly merged together, they both slowly closed their eyes as lips met lips.

To Makoto, it felt no different from the first time. Soft, warm lips pressed against his own. The contact was moist like fresh snow. He didn't know how enjoyable kissing could be and he wanted more. He moved his hands around Sekai's back and pulled her in even closer, giving more pressure on his lips against hers.

Sekai gasped and mewled at more of the contact. Her heart raced and fluttered with each kiss.

He didn't feel her protest so he continued what he was doing. His arms held her tightly against his body as if he wanted to mold her into his body. His heart was racing and each kiss was deliciously addictive. Each kiss sent tingles down his spine and he felt his senses open up.

Sekai appeared to be enjoying the sensations as well and she kept up with him exchanging his kisses for hers.

After several moments of breathless silence, Sekai spoke up again while still in his arms and asked Makoto to go shopping with her. She assured him that it wasn't a date but a day to gather supplies for the activity they were hosting in the classroom. Makoto didn't mind and wordlessly agreed to go with her the upcoming weekend.

It did occur to Makoto that the weekend was a good opportunity to spend quality time with Kotonoha but he convinced himself that it was just for this time. Kotonoha wouldn't mind that he spends time with friends.

Right?